I drank this bourbon, selected by John and Jason and a few of their friends, with a comparison glass of regular Woodford. It was amazing in comparison. I like regular Woodford but the color was much darker, making regular Woodford look yellow-orange in comparison. The nose was much more complex and the fruitiness was out of this world. I loved it! Good Job Jason, John and company. I hope you continue to pick excellent barrels like these!

I should also note that Woodford is a small batch, not single barrel, so when picking you have to pick two barrels that compliment each other and then Brown-Forman mingles them and and bottles half of it for you as a barrel. Of course you can elect to take both barrels, but that is twice the cost. In some ways this is more difficult than picking a single barrel product.

bourbonv wrote:...I should also note that Woodford is a small batch, not single barrel, so when picking you have to pick two barrels that compliment each other and then Brown-Forman mingles them and and bottles half of it for you as a barrel...

Are both barrels pot-still distillate, or is one from Old Forester stock?

bourbonv wrote:I drank this bourbon, selected by John and Jason and a few of their friends, with a comparison glass of regular Woodford. It was amazing in comparison. I like regular Woodford but the color was much darker, making regular Woodford look yellow-orange in comparison. The nose was much more complex and the fruitiness was out of this world. I loved it! Good Job Jason, John and company. I hope you continue to pick excellent barrels like these!

I should also note that Woodford is a small batch, not single barrel, so when picking you have to pick two barrels that compliment each other and then Brown-Forman mingles them and and bottles half of it for you as a barrel. Of course you can elect to take both barrels, but that is twice the cost. In some ways this is more difficult than picking a single barrel product.

Mike, I trust your nose and palate totally. When I read your notes, I just had to say; "Ah! Old Forester 'honey-barrels'!" I tend to doubt that there is a single drop of copper pot-stilled whiskey in the batch.

Yet, I am reminded of the hand picked eight year old single barrel of pot-stilled Woodford Reserve bourbon that Howie & ima drilled out...Damned good whiskey that! Chris Morris set us up with a fine-fine tasting ringer of a barrel.

I was not there, so I can only say asked the same question. Like Linn, I thought of Old Forester Honey barrels at first, but there was a hint of copper in the very early stages of the finish. John said they were both Woodford Pot still barrels from 1997.

I have tasted similar pot still in my many foray's in the warehouses to pull samples during the bourbon academy weekends and I see the similarities. The one thing I find in the pot still I don't find int the Old Forester is that bit of what I call "dates" but I believe Doug Phillips would call "nut shells". It is a sweet flavor similar to amoretto. This is good bourbon. As the old Linn used to say "wear extra pants because this is going to knock your off!"

One of the things that I consider a must for a great bourbon is that it must be able to change as it breaths exposing new facets of it flavor as time passes. It took me an hour to drink the three ounce sample John poured me to make my notes. At one point the caramel burst out of the glass making me think of a rich caramel toffee, so chewey and sweet that it takes a long time to finish it. At another point the apple fruit and caramel reminded of candied apples at a fall festival. The aroma and the taste always challenged the palate.

bourbonv wrote:One of the things that I consider a must for a great bourbon is that it must be able to change as it breaths exposing new facets of it flavor as time passes. It took me an hour to drink the three ounce sample John poured me to make my notes. At one point the caramel burst out of the glass making me think of a rich caramel toffee, so chewey and sweet that it takes a long time to finish it. At another point the apple fruit and caramel reminded of candied apples at a fall festival. The aroma and the taste always challenged the palate.

Very good insights from a man who knows bourbon so well. As Mike V says, good bourbon ought not to be rushed.

Do not go gentle into that good night,Old age should burn and rage at close of day;Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas